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  1. Second half collapse Premiership Hibernian were between Inverness and a place in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup. The last time these sides lifted the Scottish Cup was in 2015 & 2016. We dipped our toes in the final last season losing out to Celtic and Hibs lost out to St Johnstone two years earlier. Neither side are taking their respective League tables by storm, so the break for a Scottish Cup encounter might do both sides some good. We had never beaten Hibs in four Cup encounters, including a replay. Alex Samuel was a major doubt with a fractured hand and was missing along with Danny Devine and Luis Longstaff who twisted his knee in training. Here's what happened this time... Having matched Hibs for almost an hour a massive deflection enabled Maolida to open the scoring. Slack defensive play set Martin Boyle on his way to double Hibs advantage before a late goal set up by Boyle saw Youan tap in. Game over but Aaron Doran notched an injury time consolation for Inverness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A North East wind chilled the stadium as kick-off approached but the home support were out in force with a large away crowd also in attendance. A fairly even first half where chances were at a premium with Hibs creating the better opportunites but neither keeper overly troubled. After the interval Hibs eased ahead when a shot from Maolida took a massive deflection to end up high in the net. Tough luck for the hosts but they were the architects of their own downfall at the first and second goals when we failed to clear our lines before Maolida's deflected shot and Boyle scored a second after an attempted clearance by Boyes. Boyle set up Youan for a tap in third. Credit to Aaron Doran for pulling one back with a superb volley but the game was long gone by then. Cammy Kerr hit the top of the crossbar with a looped header at 1-0 but in truth we saw too little action in the opposition box and paid the consequences of that. FULL TIME: 1-3 From BBC Sport: Inverness CT manager Duncan Ferguson: "We obviously knew it was going to be a tough game. "There wasn't much in it at half time and then we gave away a couple of poor goals. I was happy with the performance, but it was a mountain to climb after those two goals." Hibs head coach Nick Montgomery: "It was a comfortable victory in the end. Not an easy place to come, always a difficult cup tie and playing against an underdog. "But I thought the boys executed the game very well and I thought we more than deserved to get through. We created a lot of opportunities at the end, we probably could have had a couple more and I think they had one shot on target and it was a fantastic finish by the boy." We lost didn't we Robert on CTO: No complaints from me about the result. Ridgers kept us in it in the first half, although I thought we competed well and deserved the 0-0 score line. The shot for the first goal took a wicked deflection or otherwise Ridgers would have had a comfortable save. McAllister lost possession in the build up after doing the hard work in winning the ball. Boyes was at fault for the second whilst we seemed to switch off a bit expecting a flag for the third but the player who picked the ball up was onside. Doran’s goal was a cracker, but far too little far too late. I’m not sure about the defensive substitutions as the defence was coping well on the whole. I can only guess that Chilokoa-Mullen and Savage are not fully match fit yet as both have been subbed in all three matches they’ve started for us. Hibs fans at the Caledonian Stadium>>> Date: 10/02/2024 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3837 Referee: Colin Steven Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Duncan Ferguson Lineup: Ridgers; Kerr, Cilokopa-Mullen (Ujdur 70), Carragher (MacGregor 90+1), Savage (Boyes 70), Harper, Shaw, Gilmour, Anderson, Harper, McAllister (Doran 70), B Mckay (Pepple 63) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Austin Samuels Scorers: Doran (90+5) Booked: Carragher (28) Sent Off: none Hibernian: 3 Manager: Nick Montgomery Lineup: Marshall; Miller (Cadden 83), Fish, Triantis, Obita, Newell, Amos (Levitt 45), Boyle, Moiah-Welsh (Marcondes 74), Mayenda (Youan 45), Maolida (Le Fondre 62) Subs (not used): Wollacot; Hanlon, Stevenson, Vente Scorers: Maolida (55), Boyle (79), Youan (89) Booked: none Sent Off: none a
  2. Cup Action With both clubs underperforming this season, this is maybe a welcome break from the weekly chores. Neither club are where they would like to be. Both sides are 7th in their respective League Tables. Hibs are marooned in no mans land in the Premiership and Inverness are languishing in the doldrums, perilously close to the relegation play-off slot in the Championship. Hibs played twice this week and took a beating both times from St Mirren followed by Celtic in midweek as the Premiership played catch-up after the Winter break. We faltered badly at home to Queens Park as mass squad changes disrupted the continuity in the side, although playing at home seems to affect us anyway. It could be a long day this Saturday. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket Info Remember This May 2015 Then This May 2015 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 18 10 3 5 33 16 +17 Away 15 5 4 6 16 20 -4 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 33 15 7 11 49 36 +13 Despite our demise, we still hold the upper hand over Hibs, especially at home despite losing the last two which were both Scottish Cup ties. Last 10 Competitive Meetings 2 - 5 (H) 1 - 2 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 3 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 3 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 2 - 0 (H) We have never beaten Hibs in the Scottish Cup, losing the last two at home. The first Cup meeting at Easter Road in 2008 saw us go down 0 - 3 to a Dean Shiels hat-trick. The last four games between these sides have ended in a home win and today was no different. Reputed Caley Thistle target Dean Shiels scored all three goals in a deserved victory for the Hibees and probably killed any chance Caley Thistle have of getting him to come to the Caledonian Stadium as new boss Mixu Paatelainen will likely be less than enthusiastic about letting him go now. Dean Shiels was the hat-trick hero for Hibs as they eased into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup at Caley Thistle’s expense. The player – seemingly frozen out under previous manager John Collins – returned to the starting line-up for new manager Mixu Paatelainen and virtually guaranteed his Easter Road future as he handed the gaffer his best possible start. Hibs have won the Scottish Cup three times, the last one being the year after Inverness beat Falkirk 2-1 to lift the trophy in 2015, Hibs first win came in 1887 when they beat Dumbarton 2-1 followed by 1-0 victory over Celtic in 1902. Hibs have been runners-up 10 times with Inverness losing out once. From Wikipedia>>> 1887: The 1887 Scottish Cup Final was the 14th final of the Scottish Cup and the final of the 1886–87 Scottish Cup. The match was played at the second Hampden Park in Crosshill (today part of Glasgow) on 12 February 1887 and was watched by a crowd of 15,000 spectators. The final was contested by the 1883 winners Dumbarton and Hibernian who had never won the competition before. 1902: The 1902 Scottish Cup Final was played on 26 April 1902 at Celtic Park in Glasgow and was the deciding match of the 29th season of the Scottish Cup. The match had been scheduled to be played at Ibrox Park on 12 April, but the first Ibrox disaster occurred the week earlier during the annual Scotland v England game. This meant that the final was delayed by two weeks and moved to Celtic Park, although Celtic were one of the finalists. Hibernian won the match 1–0, with a 75th-minute goal from Andy McGeachan. This was Hibernian's last Scottish Cup triumph for 114 years, until they won it again in 2016 by beating Rangers 3–2. Att: 16,000 2015: The 2015 Scottish Cup Final was the 130th final of the Scottish Cup. The match took place at Hampden Park on 30 May 2015 and was contested by Falkirk and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Ten-man Inverness won the final 2–1 thanks to a late James Vincent goal. Marley Watkins scored the first with Peter Grant replying for the Bairns after Carl Tremarco had been sent off. Att: 37,149. 2016: The 2016 Scottish Cup Final was the 131st final of the Scottish Cup and the final of the 2015–16 Scottish Cup. The match took place at Hampden Park on 21 May 2016 and was contested by Scottish Championship teams Rangers and Hibernian. It was the first final to be contested by two teams from outside the top tier of the Scottish football league system. Hibernian ended a run of 114 years from last winning the competition, beating Rangers 3–2 with a stoppage time goal from club captain David Gray. Att: 50,701 We are of course beaten finalists from last season losing 3-1 to Celtic. Inverness at the wrong end of the Championship table with Hibs in the middle of nowhere. Remember, nothing is easy, but anything is possible>>> Latest Team News We will need to wait for Duncan Ferguson to announce his plans. We barely know half the squad; not sure if Duncan does either since the transfer window shut. A major worry is on loan striker Alex Samuel who has broken his hand and faces the possibility of being out for a few weeks. Doctors are looking to see if he can get away with a lighter cast, but that's in the balance right now. Luis Longstaff is out after twisting a knee in training. As shown against Queens Park, we struggled badly to break down a team prepared to sit in and wait for their one opportunity. However, with Premiership opposition comes the hope that they will fancy their chances and come North to have a go and that might suit us better. Players at Nick Montgomery's disposal for the midweek defeat to Celtic. David Marshall; Miller, Fish, Triantis, Obita, Newell, Boyle, Moriah-Welsh, Levitt, Youan, Vente Substitutes: Wollacott, Mayenda, Amos, Stevenson, Maolida, Le Fondre, Veiga Vieira Tavares, Molotnikov, Megwa No1 keeper is David Marshall of Scotland penalty save claim. Martin Boyle is the pacey threat up front, but to be honest there will be threats all over the park as you would expect from an established Premiership side.
  3. Scottish Cup 4th Round It's a break from League action this weekend should the weather allow after a week of heavy snow and Arctic like conditions across the North of Scotland. The club have been busy clearing the pitch on Friday with six inches of snow on top of the covers. The visitors, should we get the green light, are Broomhill. No no no, not Broomhill at Nethybridge, but Broomhill FC from the Scottish Lowland League who play their home games at Dumbarton Football Stadium. They come from the same League as Cowdenbeath who we played in the last round and found it difficult to break them down until the introduction of Wotherspoon and Billy Mckay, so expect the same again with our rather depleted squad. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket Info Offski ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well done Rhys Beaton: First down to help at the Stadium>>> It was all hands to the pumps on Friday morning after the massive dump of snow this week left the pitch covered. With the hard frost since the beginning of the week it was the best thing for it to leave the snow on top of the covers to protect the grass beneath, let's hope the big thaw does not end up flooding the pitch. Mantis gave us a qick résumé on Broomhill: This is the team that played out of Alloa as BSC Glasgow, before becoming Open Goal Broomhill (or “Podcast FC”) when they were taken over by Si Ferry, but that partnership was dissolved and they are now simply Broomhill FC. Broomhill Sports Club originally ran youth football teams back to 2004 and the senior team has been kicking around the LL in its various guises since 2014. Last Round: We thrashed struggled to overcome the miners of Cowdenbeath until the late introducton of David Wotherspoon and Billy Mckay that saw us squeeze into the next round. Of course Spoony is now off to Tannadice and Billy is carrying a knee injury so that leaves us with, erm, nothing. Here's the Broomhill Match Report from their own website Match Report | Cumnock Juniors 0 – Broomhill 3 | 26/11/2023 | Townhead Park by David McIntyre Broomhill scored three goals without reply to fire themselves into the Fourth Round of the Scottish Cup. It was another successful away fixture for the Broom in the Scottish Cup as they headed off to Townhead Park, home of Cumnock Juniors from the West of Scotland Football League. The match started at lightning pace as both teams looked to get an early foothold in the game. Broomhill were boosted with the return of some of their injured players, giving manager Stephen Swift more options to change the game. Cumnock Juniors grew into the match and had been doing better with their possession. Although Cumnock had more possession they failed to create many goal-scoring opportunities to trouble Luke Scullion. In the 29th minute, Broomhill took the lead after Ally McColm rifled a low shot into the bottom corner. The goal was created with lovely play down the left-hand side of the pitch involving four players. After the goal, Broomhill took control of the match and continued to pressure Cumnock’s defence. The second half could not have started any better, with Corey O’Donnell doubling Broomhill’s advantage. Martin Grehan assisted the goal with a lovely touch to set up O’Donnell with a 1v1 with the keeper which the striker deftly dispatched. The second goal was huge, as it allowed Broomhill to play more freely. Every time they attacked, there was a sense of enthusiasm as they moved up the pitch. The two goal scorers were involved in the third after O’Donnell’s initial shot was parried into the path of McColm to fire into the back of the net and fire Broomhill into the next round. We have a great History......in the past Don't we. Latest Team News Devine, Harper, Mckay all carrying niggles, Samuels out, Harry out, MacGregor not mentioned. Basically we are down to the bare bones of players likely to be involved in first team games. By my calculations we only have around 15 outfield players fit, plus two capable youths (Bray, Thompson) and four still injured although Roddy seems to flit between still injured or on the bench. Basically, if you have a pulse, you're in the squad. Broomhill manager Stepen Swift saw his side knock Cumnock Juniors out in the last round at Townhead Park with this ultimately comfortable away win. Broomhill went 4-3-3 against Cumnock Att: 322 - Goals: McColm (30, 65) O'Donnell (49) Scullion McKnight Smith Moy (Hunter 70) Ellis Miller Murphy Chalmers O'Donnell Grehan McColm (Max Wright 69) Subs Not Used: Barr (gk), Ben Wright, Robinson, Omar
  4. Happy Gilmour Inverness met Broomhill FC for the first time ever in the 4th round of the Scottish Cup at a defrosted Caledonian Stadium. We put Cowdenbeath out of the Cup in the last round, but Broomhill have been busier putting Cumbernauld Colts, Beith Juniors, and Cumnock out, scoring three times on each occasion. This week we dipped our toe into the January sales and borrowed striker Alex Samuel from Dingwall yesterday and he started up front with Billy Mckay on the bench. Aaron Doran also got a rare start and Cammy Mackay took the gloves for this one. Captain for the day Charlie Gilmour opened the scoring just on half time with a low strike from the edge of the box as we mounted a bit of a flurry as the interval approached. After the break, Samuel had a penalty saved as Broomhill were reduced to ten but he got his goal after the hour. Adam Brooks curled in a third with twenty minutes left and he added another two minutes from time with a cheeky back heel. Into the fifth round we go. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Image from Caleyjags.com as Duffy deflects Dorans shot. <<< Wallace Duffy had the first effort in the seventh minute but it went narrowly wide as Inverness, predictably dominated the early possession. Duffy had already contributed to an offside goal when he deflected Aaron Doran's shot into the net a minute earlier. However, twenty-five minutes gone and our lack of penetration is a worry as Broomhill saw a bit more of the ball. On the half hour Boyes fed debutant Alex Samuel but his powerful shot cleared the bar. A timely reminder for the hosts saw Darren Miller bring Cammy Mackay into action as he saved Miller's shot from distance. Up the other end and Doran dragged an effort wide after Charlie Gilmour fed him on the edge of the box. Just before the break we had our first attempt on target when Scullion saved from Duffy at the expense of a corner. After the corner Max Anderson brought out another save from Scullion and Samuel's effort on the rebound resulted in another corner with Scullion blocking bravely. From there Gilmour broke the deadlock to put Inverness ahead with a low strike from the edge of the box, only his second goal for the Caley Jags. HALF TIME: 1-0 Five minutes after the break and it all happened. Michael Miller brought down Aaron Doran in the box, penalty given, Miller red carded and then Alex Samuel saw his penalty saved by Scullion. (he was probably feeling low as news filtered through that Partick Thistle were 3-0 up in Dingwall). He would not be denied a debut goal though and on the hour he turned the ball in to put us two ahead. Nikola Ujdur headed wide from a corner as Inverness continued to dominate. Substitute Adam Brook scored a super curling third but Cammy Mackay had to deny Darren Miller at the other end. Brooks scored another two minutes before the end to round off the scoring and put us into the hat for the next round draw. FULL TIME: 4-0 Robert on CTO: We got the job done, which was the main thing seeing what happened in some other games. I thought we started well and were trying to utilise the pace of Samuel, but after the early disallowed goal by Doran, we reverted to slow build up play and taking passes when shots were on for most of the first half. Gilmour’s goal was needed as otherwise the first half would have been one of our worst 45s this season. We showed a bit more urgency at the start of the second half and should have been 2 up with the penalty. I felt the red was a bit harsh but he was wresting with Doran for about 10 yards! Samuel’s kick was saved comfortably but he made amends a short time later with Carragher getting the assist. We failed to capitalise until the late double from Brooks added gloss to the score line. MacKay also pulled off one fine save to maintain the clean sheet. We started as a 3 5 2 with Duffy and Longstaff as wing backs, with all of Anderson, Carson and Gilmour in central midfield. We switched to 4 at the back late on after Ujdur went off, with Longstaff at left back. He did ok, but I felt Duffy was the more dangerous of the wide players. Carson had a quiet first half but made some decent passes after the break. It was good to see Doran and MacGregor get game time, along with Samuel and Brooks being amongst the goals. So job done with a good result after a largely unconvincing performance. Date: 20/01/2024 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0983 Referee: Craig Napier Inverness CT: 4 Manager: Duncan Ferguson Lineup: C Mackay; Duffy, Ujdur (Thompson 75), Carragher, Boyes, Carson (MacGregor 75), Gilmour, Anderson (Shaw 69), Longstaff, Doran (Brooks 57), Alex Samuel (B Mckay 70) Subs (not used): Ridgers; Davidson, Harper, Devine Scorers: Gilmour (45+1), Samuel (62), Brooks (73, 88) Booked: none Sent Off: none Broomhill FC: 0 Manager: Stephen Swift Lineup: Scullion; McNight, M Miller, Moy (McPhie 70), Ellis, Roberts (Smith 68), Kennedy (O'Donnell 53), Murphy, McCrystal (Higgins 53), Grehan (Hunter 63), D Miller Subs (not used): Barr; Ben Wright, Max Wright, Chalmers Scorers: none Booked: Scullion (20), Grehan (24), McKnight (86) Sent Off: Michael Miller (50) a
  5. Brazil Come North A wee break from the rigours of Championship football this weekend as Brazil head North to take on Caley Thistle in the Third Round of the Scottish Cup. No no no, not that ones, but it's the Blue Brazil who will be at the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday for a 3:00pm kick-off. Unfortunately, Cowdenbeath slipped out of the big boys Leagues in 2022 after a 4-0 aggregate defeat to Bonnyrigg Rose and find themselves plying their trade in the fifth tier of Scottish Football, the Lowland Football League. Our last regular games with Cowdenbeath ended in 1997 when they beat Inverness 2-1 at Central Park. The biggest home attendance at Central Park was 25,586 vs Rangers on 21 September 1949. (must have been waiting for the stock car racing to start) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket Info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venue H2H Cowdenbeath Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 7 4 1 2 11 10 +1 Away 8 4 2 2 17 12 +5 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 15 8 3 4 28 22 +6 We have only played Cowdenbeath three times since our early days in 1997. The last three games have all been in League Cup encounters. Worryingly, the last one was a no scoring draw over 90 minutes. Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Cowdenbeath 0 - 0 (H) 5 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 4 - 3 (A) 1 - 3 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 0 - 0 (A) In our final league encounter with the Blue Brazil we were beaten 1 - 2 in Fife: An enthusiastic Cowdenbeath side deservedly ended the champions long unbeaten run. The home side dominated the first half as the visitors experimented with their formation. In 13 minutes Craig Sinclair headed home after a Willie Stewart corner and 4 minutes later a static defence allowed Martin Scott to hit high into the roof of the net from close range. It could have been three just before half-time but Jim Calder made a good diving save from a Nolan shot. The second half started the same way but the visitors gradually came back. They dominated the last half hour but only managed one goal. In 69 minutes a long Iain MacArthur throw was back-headed by Mike Teasdale and Paul Cherry headed home. In 84 minutes Iain Stewart tried to chip Godfrey but failed and in the dying seconds a Paul Cherry header was cleared off the line. Godfrey Munro Ritchie Meldrum Humphreys Winter Scott Sinclair Nolan Coulston Stewart Manson - Charlie Christie Millar - Davie Ross Hamilton - Barry Wilson Jim Calder Mike Noble Richard Hastings Iain MacArthur Paul Cherry Ross Tokely Mike Teasdale Marco De Barros Iain Stewart Brian Thomson Wayne Addicoat Last Time Out We rode our luck in Fife last weekend but managed to escape with a point from East End Park. Incredibly the Pars hit the woodwork seven times before they equalised on the eighth strike in the last three minutes, the ball connoning off the post into the net from Lewis McCann. Danny Devine scored like an opportunist striker at the end of the first half as MotM woodwork kept the ball out of the net with seven incredible blocks and an assist. Cowdenbeath's last game saw them scud Lanark United 6-0 in the South Challenge Cup. Scorers in a decent performance were Matty McDonald (34), Josh Jack (37), Mikey Cunningham (38 pen), MacPherson (45) HT: 4-0 Jack (50), Berry (67) Cowdenbeath FC 6 Lanark United 0 Date: 18th November 2023 Kick off: 3:00pm Competition: South Challenge Cup Referee: Venue: Central Park Attendance: We are, of course, beaten finalists from last season. Record scorer Billy Mckay is our all time top scorer in the Scottish Cup. He bagged five in last season's event, including two at Livingston and two against Falkirk in the semi final bringing his total up to 12, one ahead of Sir Dennis Wyness. Iain Stewart, our master lobster comes third with six lobs. Cowdenbeath got into the next round of the Scottish Cup after defeating Kilwinning Rangers 1-0 at Buffs Park. Super sub Mikey Cunningham came off the bench to score a late goal which saw Cowdenbeath through to the third round of the Scottish Cup, which is why they are here on Saturday. COWDENBEATH: Hepburn; Butterworth, Walker, Jordan, McNab, Chalmers, Jack (Cunningham 64), MacDonald, MacPherson, McLaughlin, Docherty (Berry 88). Subs not used – Blair, Garcia, D Duncan and Smith. ATTENDANCE: 527 Latest Team News Sean Welsh got a bit of the action at East End Park after another extensive injury lay-off. Luis Longstaff was another still looking to get up to speed after a couple of weeks out and Nikola Ujdur was subbed off in the second half. One or two still carrying niggles and this might be the right time to rest some with bigger fish to fry, but first and foremost we need to get ourselves into the hat for the 4th round draw. Max Anderson is cup-tied. 4 or 5 changes according to Dunc>>> Cowdenbeath will be looking forward to this and I would expect a similar set up to their game against Lanark.
  6. 2015 Revisited The last time we played Falkirk at Hampden in front of 37,000 fans, it was a history making event. I don't really need to tell you how that worked out, but for those that were on another planet, we won the Scottish Cup by beating Falkirk 2-1. Since then both clubs have underachieved and hit the skids. Falkirk are now trying to get themselves out of league 1 and we are desperately trying to keep ourselves in the Premiership play-off slot after a horrendous season littered with injuries to the whole squad. A third round struggle past Stirling Albion before we went through to the 5th round by default against Queens Park, but since then have comfortably disposed of Premiership opposition in Livingston and Kilmarnock. Falkirk got here by putting six past Wick Academy before a narrow 2-1 win at Alloa. They then dumped media darlings Darvel 5-1 and in the quarter final put out Ayr United. On paper we will be the bookies favourites. That's not something we are normally comfortable with and I fully expect Falkirk will also fancy their chances in this one, and rightly so. Be warned! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ticket & Bus info from ICTFC Supporters Club Buses Full ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 27 8 5 14 35 42 -7 Away 23 7 6 10 29 33 -4 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 50 15 11 24 64 75 -11 Falkirk are one of the few clubs out with the Premiership that have had the better of us over the years in head 2 head encounters. In the early years since we crossed swords in 1999 we always found Falkirk to be a difficult side to beat. Only 15 wins from 50 encounters is not one of our better stats. We have fared better in recent years with the Cup Final in 2015 being the pinnacle. The 0-2 home defeat shown below in the stats was the first meeting after the Cup Final win. Last 10 Competitive Meetings 0 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 2 - 3 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 0 - 2 (H) Click the link below for our full report from the Scottish Cup Final, brings a tear to a glass eye..... We went in at the break a goal to the good after getting to grips with the game halfway through the first period, Marley Watkins finishing with aplomb after a seven man move. Carl Tremarco was sent packing after 75 minutes after he miscontrolled a ball and then scythed down Blair Alston as he sped goalwards. Schoolboy error from Carl that was punished five minutes later when Peter Grant headed powerfully home from the vacant left back position. However, an unlikely hero came forward and James Vincent applied the finishing touch after Jamie MacDonald spilled a Watkins shot. The rest is history. 2015 Scottish Cup Final May 30th Scottish Cup (Final) 2 - 1 N 37,149 Anyway, back to the future and another tough game is expected against a Falkirk side who will finish second in League 1 and will be looking for promotion through the play-offs. Three former Inverness players in their ranks at the moment. Defenders Coll Donaldson and Brad Mckay along with winger Kai Kennedy who will be a handful. Mckay and Kennedy scored in a 4-1 win over Alloa at the weekend. Kennedy has scored five goals in his last four games. However, League form goes out the window in cup games, especially at Hampden where the vastness of the arena with less than full stands can turn it into a training like atmosphere. The daunting task of beating one of the Old Firm at a packed Hampden does not appeal to many, but it has been done before although the bookies won't be expecting that to happen whoever teachers the final. LAST WEEK Dundee broke our run of six straight wins with a draw at the Caledonian Stadium last Saturday. They opened the scoring through Lyall Cameron before Austin Samuels levelled with fifteen minutes left. A hard earned point in a game where Dundee looked like running away with the points for over an hour. Our late comeback meant that ultimately it was a deserved point but Dundee might disagree with that. Falkirk warmed up by trouncing Alloa Athletic 4-1 at Recreation Park. Brad Mckay, Kai Kennedy and a brace from Liam Henderson did the damage. Kennedy on a good spree just now with some spectacular dead ball strikes this month. Coll Donaldson did his bit. He was booked on half time. The third goal enabled them to rest some legs ahead of this one, unlike us who had to battle hard for the full ninety plus minutes. FanZone The word on the street is that the pre-match watering hole will be Alfredo's. It's known as Alfie's Sports Bar on West Nile Street. Alfie’s is located at 146 West Nile Street, G1 2RQ. This is a few minutes north of Glasgow Queen’s Street and the Bus Station. Apparently it opens around 8:00am. It would be rude not to.... Google Link to Alfies Sports Bar There's also a post match Bar for celebrating or drowning your sorrows. Koelschip Yard 686-688 Pollokshaws Rd, Glasgow G41 2QB Listen to the latest Podcast from The Wyness Shuffle Join Moff, Riley, AY and Wyness Shuffle debutants Sandy Sutherland and Calum MacDonald as they begin the countdown to the big one by looking back at our recent excellent run, hearing from a few familiar voices, and speculating on who will be running out at Hampden next Saturday. Let’s Shuffle to HAMPDEN CALLING That should keep you busy for a while on the train down to Glasgow Latest Team News David Carson is suspended for this one and Lewis Nicolson is cup-tied to add to Sutherland and Walsh who will no doubt be watching from the stands. Our missing souls of Roddy MacGregor and Max Ram might be added to the squad as Billy hints at in his media preview. Sean Welsh missed last week against Dundee with a knock but will return this week. Wallace Duffy made a welcome return last week with the impending suspension of Carson for this game. Falkirk manager John McGlynn had this starting XI against Alloa: Kinnear Williamson Donaldson McKay McCann Henderson McGinn Kucheriavyi Morrison Burrell Kennedy Subs: P Morrison; Rowe, Allan, Nesbitt, McGuffie, Yeats, Wright Oliver, Lawal Callumn Morrison is top scorer this season with 13 goals. Kai Kennedy and striker Rumarn Burrell both have 9 goals.
  7. Killie Cup Action It's Scottish Cup quarter final action this weekend when Scotland's second oldest club Kilmarnock come North on Friday night @ 7:45 looking for a place in the semi-finals of the second oldest Cup competition in the world. However, it's the oldest trophy as it's still the original trophy that is up for grabs. At 2ft high the silver trophy was not cheap back in the day, costing £56/13 shillings and was commissioned to Glasgow silversmith George Edwards & Sons. The first ever event started in 1873 and the final in 1874 saw Queens Park beat Clydesdale 2-0 in front of 2,500 fans at the original Hampden Park. Incidentally Kilmarnock played in the first ever Scottish Cup tie, losing 2-0 to Renton in 1873. Standing in their way this season are our very own Caley Jags, Scottish Cup winners in 2015. Kilmarnock have won the Cup three times (1920/29/97). The last time they lifted the Cup in 1997, like us, they also defeated Falkirk in the final. The result was 1-0 at Ibrox in front of 45,000 fans with Paul Wright scoring the only goal. See more at The Scottish Cup. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket Info Live on BBC Scotland The Covers Are On ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venue H2H v Killie Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 25 12 9 4 46 33 +13 Away 26 8 6 12 36 45 -9 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 51 20 15 16 82 78 +4 Overall, we still hold the edge over Kilmarnock and have met them five times in the Scottish Cup which includes a replay in 2001. This is the first 6th round tie between the cubs with Killie having won two of the previous three 5th round ties. I don't think Killie ever got over being dumped out of the Scottish Cup on the 9th of February 1985 by Highland League Inverness Thistle. Dave Milroy, Gordon Hay and Brian Black were the scorers that ensured the playing surface would be covered with big Kilmarnock bunnets and scarves. What a sight that was. That win earned Thistle an away tie at Parkhead in the last sixteen. 2001 Mar 6th Scottish Cup (Round 4 Replay) 1 - 2 A 6,528 Feb 17th Scottish Cup (Round 4) 1 - 1 H 5,294 2009 Feb 7th Scottish Cup (Rd 5) 2 - 0 H 2,578 2010 Feb 6th Scottish Cup (Rd 5) 0 - 3 A 4,473 2013 Feb 2nd Scottish Cup (Rd 5) 0 - 2 A 3,172 Here's Killie with a late equaliser in 2001 We have the upper hand most recently, although these were all very tight fixtures. Last 4 Competitive Meetings from season 21/22 in the Championship. 2 - 1 (H) 0 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) On December 3rd last season, Sean Welsh did this in a 1 - 0 win over Killie..... BOOM! Last Time Out Inverness got a welcome three points at Somerset Park despite going behind early on after top Scorer Dipo Akinyemi scored his sixteenth of the season. Sean Welsh levelled soon after then Ayr were reduced to ten men when Daire O'Connor was sent off fifteen minutes before the break. Inverness took their time but eventually got the reward their chances deserved when Jay Henderson popped up at the back post to bury a Nathan Shaw cross. Deserved three points for the Caley Jags after a lean spell and sets us up nicely for a crack at Killie in the Cup. Our own recent form over last five is also disappointing but hopefully on the up: D L L D W Killie went down at Ibrox last weekend as Rangers scored three first half goals. It was a poor defensive performance by the Rugby Park club in the first forty-five and they had the disappointment of a VAR penalty award on the break. In their favour, after a much improved performance, they did win the second half 1-0 when Jeriel Dorsett scored with a header and they also had a penalty claim turned down. Killie find themselves second bottom of the Premiership after a poor run of form and unless much changes they will be vying with Ross County for a relegation play-off spot with Dundee United occupying the automatic relegation slot. Last five results heading downwards: W L L D L The only win in that run was over bottom club Dundee United on 1st February. Latest Team News Our fortunes are slowly turning on the injury front with Deas, Harper, Devine, Delaney and Samuels all returning, but there were still five players missing at Ayr: Sutherland, Walsh, MacGregor, Ram and Woods. Billy Mckay returned after suspension last week and is chasing the goal scoring record of Dennis Wyness. On the playing surface the covers are on as another big freeze hits the North, -10 around the area already this week. Billy looking forward to this one>>> Kilmarnock have found the going tough in the Premiership this season but they are not without some very good players. One of our own Liam Polworth is still at Killie and featured in their last game at Ibrox. Daniel Armstrong is a danger with his attacking flair and he is top scorer with nine goals this season plus five assists. Jordan Jones has returned to Rugby Park and is another tricky customer. Rory McKenzie is a pocket dynamo with his all action style. In defence Ash Taylor is still there and has contributed at the other end with four goals, a danger at set pieces. By all accounts, Killie will be bringing a decent away support to this one.
  8. Entry Level Three Is this by perchance a wee window of opportunity to rest some battle scarred and weary legs as we start our participation in this season's Scottish Cup in the third round. Forget Qatar, forget the World Cup, forget about winning the Scottish Cup. It's more important for us to buy some time in the injury shop and make sure we have enough able bodies ready for action when we resume our Championship challenge at home to Dundee next week. Even that will be too soon for most, but at this stage of our season, it's a more important game than the Stirling Albion one, no disrespect to them. Anyway, we need to get the right balance and try to remain competitive whilst resting some important players. We already know a bit about the Bino's as they performed well against us in last season's League Cup game, winning the penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 draw. Kick-Off is on Saturday at 3:00pm. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ANY GOOD AT WASHING SHIRTS? TICKET/MATCH INFO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ H2H v Stirling Albion Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 4 2 2 0 9 5 +4 Away 6 3 2 1 13 5 +8 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 10 5 4 1 22 10 +12 We have not played the Bino's regularly since the early days when we shared a couple of seasons with them in the lower leagues where we enjoyed regular success mostly. More recently we played them in a League Cup group stages encounter where the Bino's prevailed on penalties. Bino's Bonus: 2-2 Stirling win 3-2 on penalties (July 17th 2021) Kevin Rutkiewicz took his Stirling Albion side North for the second group 'A' match for both teams who were looking to continue their winning starts to the League Cup. Something was going to give and it did with the Bino's taking the bonus point after a 2-2 draw. Stirling took an early lead with a superb free kick by Dylan Mackin from twenty-yards. Kieran Moore stunned the hosts on the counter with a second before Roddy Macgregor pulled one back before the Interval. Shane Sutherland levelled the tie early in the second half. Jack Leitch hit the post for the impressive Bino's as they continued to cause problems. Chances went abegging at both ends but the game went to penalties to decide the bonus point, and when Currie brilliantly saved Sutherland's penalty it was the Bino's that prevailed 3-2, and no one could grudge them that. In 2007 we had our biggest win when we went to Forthbank at the same stage of the Scottish Cup and hit them for six. Jan 6th Scottish Cup (Rd 3) 6 - 1 A 1,521 Caley Thistle cantered into the 4th round of the Tennents Scottish Cup with what turned out to be an easy win against Stirling Albion. Charlie Christie went with 3 strikers from the start and this paid off as the Caley Jags managed 6 goals from 5 different scorers. Official Club Historian Ian Broadfoot supplies the match report With Stirling riding high in the Second Division, and having home advantage, Caley Thistle had to be at their professional best going into this match. In the event a fine performance led to a comfortable victory. This was only the Sixth meeting of the clubs and only the second in any cup - Stirling won a League Challenge Cup match 3-1 in August 1996 but never managed a league victory when both were in the Second Division in 1998/99. The Binos were without Dene Shields who has gone back to Gretna from loan and also the injured Ian Cashmore. Richard Hastings missed out for ICT due to injury but Ian Black returned from suspension to take a place on the bench. Craig Dargo came back from injury to take his place in an attacking formation with three at the back and all three main strikers in the starting eleven. With only eight minutes gone it was 1-0 to ICT when John Rankin stepped in as the Stirling defence tried to clear a high header from Graham Bayne - Rankin sent a low ball across goal from the left and Dargo bundled in from a yard out. Five minutes later a Roy McBain cross from the left was knocked-down by Bayne and Dennis Wyness sent a superb left-foot volley from 20 yards past Myles Hogarth to make it 2-0. Two minutes after that Stirling temporarily came back into it when David O'Brien scored from 12 yards via the post. Roy McBain made it 3-1 in 22 minutes when his first shot came back off Wyness and he hammered the rebound home from the edge of the box. John Fraser hit the bar for Stirling in 32 minutes but four minutes before the break Craig Dargo scored a tremendous goal to make it 4-1. He played a one-two with Wyness and chipped over Hogarth from 25 yards. Two minutes into the second half Barry Wilson scored with a low shot from 25 yards which went in off the post to make it 5-1. Stirling were by now well and truly out and in 54 minutes it was nearly 6-1 when Bayne hit the post with a low drive. The final goal came in 69 minutes from Alan Morgan just two minutes after he came on for Barry Wilson. He took a pass from Rankin, went past three defenders then scored from an acute angle through Hogarth's legs. A good afternoon's work for ICT and a place in Sunday's fourth round draw. [4th round draw paired ICT at home to either Dundee Utd or St Mirren] Match report written by Ian Broadfoot Stirling Albion are looking good for promotion in League Two sitting in second place, three points behind Dumbarton. They have won nine out of fifteen games with three defeats and three draws. Highlight of their season so far was a 6-0 thrashing of table toppers Dumbarton at the beginning of October. They are the highest scoring team in the division with 33 goals and have conceded only 16. Dale Carrick, the former Hearts, Killie and Livingston player, is the runaway top scorer with 13 goals from 19 games, scoring at a rate of 3/4 a goal per 90 minutes of football. Robert Thomson has 5 goals to his name with Kai Fotheringham on 4. Eck's one to watch>>> On loan from Dundee United FC is 19 year old left winger Kai Fotheringham, considered to be a prospect at United and also has an Under 16 cap to his credit. Previous loan spells were hampered by ankle problems for which he underwent surgery. At Forthbank he seems to have found his feet and has scored 4 goals and is credited with 7 assists in Division 2 this season HOME AWAY POS. P W D L GF GA W D L GF GA GD PTS 1 Dumbarton 15 5 2 0 14 4 5 1 2 13 11 12 33 2 Stirling Albion 15 5 2 1 21 8 4 1 2 12 8 17 30 3 Elgin City 15 3 1 3 11 11 3 3 2 18 16 2 22 4 East Fife 15 2 0 5 7 12 4 3 1 18 12 1 21 Our injury hit season has been well documented and used as part of the reason for our inconsistent form. Unfortunately it has been a major factor but it has also allowed some youngsters the opportunity to get familiar with the matchday experience. That will come in handy this weekend as no doubt some will be called upon to fill some spaces in and around the squad as we get the opportunity to give some of our returning players an extra week to rest up. That said we need to try and remain competitive in the hope that a more lucrative tie will come along. In the bigger picture, it's no big deal should we fail to progress, but more important to have key players ready for the Championship challenge ahead. However, try telling the fans that who will be wanting the best of both. Danny Devine and Sean Welsh played through the pain barrier last week despite being less than 100% and it might be prudent not to risk them this week although they were both insistent on taking to the field last week which has perplexed some. Should David Carson be selected to play that will be his 100th appearance for the Caley Jags since joining from Morpeth Town in 2019. Here's a sobering thought. We have yet to win a competitive game on the 26th of November>>> 22 vs. Stirling Albion (H) Scottish Cup (Third Round) ????? 16 vs. Dundee (A) League 1 - 2 11 vs. Hearts (A) League 1 - 2 05 vs. Dundee Utd (H) League 1 - 1 94 vs. Alloa (H) League ((Div 3)) 2 - 2 Here's all your third round fixtures >>>
  9. Cup Action Its a break from the rigours of the Championship this weekend as Morton head North looking to progress in the Scottish Cup. The game kicks-off at 3:00pm and for those unable to get to the Caledonian Stadium, ICTV will be streaming the match for a tenner. Not a big change for either side though as these two Championship sides clash in the 3rd round. They have met in the Scottish Cup twice before with Inverness dishing out heavy defeats of 4-0 and 5-1. In other knockout competitions there has been two meetings with the Caley Jags winning them both. MATCH INFO & TICKETS LIVE STREAMING £10 OFFICIAL PREVIEW Venue Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 17 12 3 2 45 15 +30 Away 14 8 2 4 27 17 +10 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 31 20 5 6 72 32 +40 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 2 - 0 (H) 4 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 5 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 1 - 0 (H) In this season's encounter Inverness won 2-0 recently on league duty and will play Morton away in another couple of weeks at Cappielow. We have a great overall record against Morton with only two defeats in seventeen games, however, that defeat came as recently as March of this year and here is our match overview. Abysmal, a new low! A stormy evening saw no goals at the break. Todorov came closest when he hit the post just before the interval. Could it get worse? The answer was yes when Aidan Nesbitt drilled a low shot into the net from the edge of the box with Inverness unable to make any headway. With twenty minutes left you could see the game slowly drifting away from the hosts. Sutherland hit the woodwork again and Todorov's follow up 'goal' was ruled out. Last time out Inverness dominated Queen of the South and came away from Palmerston with all three points thanks to a Billy Mckay brace in a 2-1 win. That was our first win in six games, so nothing to crow about really, but the performance was much easier on the eye than recent offerings. Morton went down 2-1 at Starks Park after taking the lead through Ledger in the fifth minute but Raith took the points as Morton ended the game with ten men when Lithgow was sent off with 15 minutes remaining. Morton remain in the bottom two after some indifferent performances. Latest Team News The mystery and intrigue surrounding our squad is coming to a head and our injury list has never been forthcoming. Look out for either Carson or Gardyne starting and hopefully our other 'niggles' will start clearing up soon. Sean Welsh, Tom Walsh, Wallace Duffy and Michael Gardyne were missing against Queen of the South but Shane Sutherland and Roddy MacGregor made a welcome return to the starting XI Here's Morton's squad from the 2-1 defeat at Starks Park last week where they ended the game with ten men after Lithgow was red carded.
  10. Cup of woe Morton took a first half lead just before the break when Robbie Muirhead shot home from outside the box into the bottom corner. Parity was restored a minute into the second half when a Doran free kick ended in the net, possibly aided by the head of Danny Devine or a Morton body. No further scoring sent the game to a penalty shoot-out. Plenty of good penalties on show and with Devine failing to score, Oliver put away the decisive ninth penalty to win the tie. That's our third penalty shoot-out failure this season; meh! Doran 1 - Reilly 1 McAlear 2 - Lyon 2 Allardice 3 - Ugwu 3 Jamieson 4 - Muirhead 4 Devine 4 - Oliver 5 Morton through 5-4 to face Motherwell. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ This was the first of a double header against the 'Ton as we play them again on Saturday in the Championship. No doubt that is more important for both clubs, especially given our good result against Killie, and for different reasons given Morton's result against Ayr in the bottom half of the table, but a wee Cup run always cheers up the fans. With Gus MacPherson being relieved of his duties, the team will be led in the interim by Head of Youth Academy, Derek Anderson, supported by Assistant Manager Andy Millen and Reserve Team Coach, John Sutton. Storm Barra was beginning to kick in and travel conditions were getting chaotic throughout the day with the threat of a call-off lingering like a bad smell. Despite this, make it we did to Cappielow with an unchanged side and Manny Duku made the bench. Unfortunately for us, we failed to capitalise on another game that we largely dominated. Other than the goals, Shane Sutherland came close with a header but Hamilton pulled off an instinctive save from 5 yards to deny Caley Jags. Highlights from Scottish Cup facebook page Date: 07/12/2021 Venue: Cappielow Park, Greenock Attendance: 700 Referee: David Dickinson Morton: 1 Manager: Derek Anderson (Interim manager) Lineup: Hamilton; Strapp, Lithgow, Lyon, Hynes, Russell, Oksanen, Muirhead, Oliver, Reilly, Ugwu Subs (not used): Bysouth; Ledger, Jacobs, Blues, McGrattan, Easdale, McGregor, King Scorers: Muirhead (42) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Doran, Welsh (Walsh 30), Allardice, MacGregor (McAlear 61), Sutherland, Mckay (Jamieson 72) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, McDonald, Duku Scorers: Devine(47) Booked: Broadfoot (76) Sent Off: none a
  11. Replay It's a Scottish Cup replay at Cappielow on Tuesday night as Inverness take on Morton to see who travels to Motherwell in the next round. The first game ended at 1-1 in the Highlands with strikes from Billy Mckay and Gavin Reilly taking the game to a replay, probably something neither club will relish. Since then an Inverness XI went out of the Challenge Cup to Raith Rovers on penalties. That was largely a squad littered with fringe players ahead of the big fish which was played out on Friday night. That game went well when Sean Welsh scored a screamer as Inverness beat Kilmarnock in a televised game to go to the top of the table. Whilst Inverness were slinking out of the Challenge Cup, Morton were also departing that competition as they went down 2-1 to Queen of the South at Palmerston. On Saturday, Morton drew 2-2 with Ayr United with Reilly and Oksanen scoring to tie the game. League form indicates that Inverness should be favourites to go into the next round, but on the evidence of the original tie, Morton were the ones forcing the pace of the game and deserved a second bite at the cherry. This is the first of a double header against the 'Ton as we play them again on Saturday in the Championship. That is surely more important for both clubs, especially given our good result against Killie, and for different reasons given Morton's result against Ayr in the bottom half of the table. MATCH INFO & TV STREAMING Latest Team News Reading between the lines, I think it's fair to say that Mr Gardyne has probably left the building. His footballing skills will be missed, but his team bonding efforts were uncalled for and disruptive. Would be good if we could draw a line under this and a statement from the club would be appreciated. Hopefully we have no more niggles to worry about although Manny Duku and Wallace Duffy were not in the squad for the Killie game although Duku has returned to training. However, will we be putting all our eggs in one basket, or will we put our fingers in more than one pie. That my friends is the burning question. Morton; well we should not be too concerned by what they do, but what we do ourselves, so let's not get too hung up about them. Here's their last starting XI v Ayr United: Hamilton; Strapp, McEntee, Ledger, Hynes, Russell, Oksanen, Blues, Muirhead, Reilly, Ugwu However, one glaring change from the first game is that Gus McPherson has been removed. Official Statement from Greenock Morton: The club can today confirm that following Saturday’s news of Gus MacPherson being relieved of his duties, the team will be led in the interim by Head of Youth Academy, Derek Anderson, supported by Assistant Manager Andy Millen and Reserve Team Coach, John Sutton. Or if you prefer it in Pink!
  12. Cup Tie It's off to Cappielow in midweek for a cup replay on Tuesday 7th December after these two sides served up a 1-1 draw at the Caledonian Stadium. Billy Mckay opened the scoring in the twelfth minute after what appeared to be a gift from keeper Hamilton, and as is our current trend we failed to capitalise on our good fortune and fell away in the second half which allowed Morton to snatch a deserved late equaliser after we returned the compliment and Gavin Reilly took the game to a replay. To be brutally honest, simply not good enough, too many players not producing the goods. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This was the third Scottish Cup clash between these sides with Morton looking for their first cup win over Inverness. The Caley Jags won the previous games 5-1 and 4-0. Poles apart in the Championship, but the Cup is a different kettle of fish. Adding more fuel to the fire, Michael Gardyne was missing, presumably having left the building? David Carson was at right back with wishy washy Welsh and Walsh on the bench. The hosts started the game in spritely fashion with Reece McAlear blazing a 15 yard volley over the bar from a corner kick. Moments later, Kirk Broadfoot made a hash of clearing the ball and when it was passed into the middle, Gary Oliver would have scored but for a 'Devine' intervention as the ball deflected off Danny and onto the post with Ridgers stranded. Aaron Doran shot from distance but it was plucked out of the air by Jack Hamilton with ease and Shane Sutherland saw a close range header clawed away by Hamilton with an instinctive save before McAlear again had another effort deflected just wide of the post by a defender. Therefore it was no surprise when Billy Mckay poached a goal from the fingertips of the keeper as he tried to gather a header back into the box from Sutherland. Could we put the tie to bed? Well, the answer was no, as has been a familiar trait of late. Ridgers blocked Ugwu on the right side of his six yard box as the big forward tried to shoot twenty minutes into the half and five minutes later he drilled a shot over the bar from the inside right position with Ridgers watching closely. Four minutes before the break a massive scrambulation in the Inverness box saw the ball blocked about half a dozen times before it was hoofed clear much to the relief of the North Stand. McAlear had at least two of these with possibly Devine again, Deas and pick any one from ten other bodies who threw themselves in front of the ball to keep Morton out as the interval neared. Almost hidden in the midden was another fluffed Broadfoot clearance. Strewth, wtf is going on. HALF TIME: 1-0 The start of the second half saw more bodies getting in the way of Morton scoring as we thwarted them again and again, the pressure easing when Reece Lyon curled his shot over from the edge of the box. Sutherland forced Hamilton into a decent, but relatively comfortable save as he tipped his header over the bar and a couple of minutes later Devine headed wide as we looked for a second goal. Ugwu dragged a shot wide when he forged his way towards the box as the visitors responded. After 81 minutes the visitors forced a replay as Broadfoot completed his hat-trick of blunders when he was muscled off a long clearance from Hamilton by Gavin Reilly who strode forward to drill the ball behind Ridgers. Foul was the obvious decision, apart from referee Colin Steven. Anyway, Broadfoot had been pushing his luck all afternoon and was found wanting when it really mattered. FULL TIME:1-1 Oh dear, another occasion where we let the lead slip from our grasp compounded by our own inability to put the ball into the net. Billy Mckay was probably the pick of the Inverness players with keeper Jack Hamilton doing his job sufficiently for the visitors. Looks like the Gardyne issue has been resolved with Carson at right back and Gardyne not in the building... the silence from the club is deafening. The Goals Full Highlights from ICTV Sort it Billy Date: 27/11/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 790 Referee: Colin Steven Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Doran, Allardice, McAlear (Welsh 71), McGregor (Walsh 70), Sutherland, B Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, Jamieson, McDonald, Duku, Scorers: B Mckay (12) Booked: none Sent Off: none Morton: 1 Manager: Gus MacPherson Lineup: Hamilton; Ledger, McEntee, Lithgow, Strapp, Oliver, Blues (Reilly 75), McGrattan (King 68), Oksanen, Ugwu, Lyon, Subs (not used): Bysouth; Jacobs, Muirhead, Russell, Hynes, Easdale, Allan Scorers: Reilly (81) Booked: McGrattan (63) Sent Off: none a
  13. Cup Action Its a break from the rigours of the Championship this weekend as Morton head North looking to progress in the Scottish Cup. The game kicks-off at 3:00pm and for those unable to get to the Caledonian Stadium, ICTV will be streaming the match for a tenner. Not a big change for either side though as these two Championship sides clash in the 3rd round. They have met in the Scottish Cup twice before with Inverness dishing out heavy defeats of 4-0 and 5-1. In other knockout competitions there has been two meetings with the Caley Jags winning them both. MATCH INFO & TICKETS LIVE STREAMING £10 OFFICIAL PREVIEW Venue Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 17 12 3 2 45 15 +30 Away 14 8 2 4 27 17 +10 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 31 20 5 6 72 32 +40 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 2 - 0 (H) 4 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 5 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 1 - 0 (H) In this season's encounter Inverness won 2-0 recently on league duty and will play Morton away in another couple of weeks at Cappielow. We have a great overall record against Morton with only two defeats in seventeen games, however, that defeat came as recently as March of this year and here is our match overview. Abysmal, a new low! A stormy evening saw no goals at the break. Todorov came closest when he hit the post just before the interval. Could it get worse? The answer was yes when Aidan Nesbitt drilled a low shot into the net from the edge of the box with Inverness unable to make any headway. With twenty minutes left you could see the game slowly drifting away from the hosts. Sutherland hit the woodwork again and Todorov's follow up 'goal' was ruled out. Last time out Inverness dominated Queen of the South and came away from Palmerston with all three points thanks to a Billy Mckay brace in a 2-1 win. That was our first win in six games, so nothing to crow about really, but the performance was much easier on the eye than recent offerings. Morton went down 2-1 at Starks Park after taking the lead through Ledger in the fifth minute but Raith took the points as Morton ended the game with ten men when Lithgow was sent off with 15 minutes remaining. Morton remain in the bottom two after some indifferent performances. Latest Team News The mystery and intrigue surrounding our squad is coming to a head and our injury list has never been forthcoming. Look out for either Carson or Gardyne starting and hopefully our other 'niggles' will start clearing up soon. Sean Welsh, Tom Walsh, Wallace Duffy and Michael Gardyne were missing against Queen of the South but Shane Sutherland and Roddy MacGregor made a welcome return to the starting XI Here's Morton's squad from the 2-1 defeat at Starks Park last week where they ended the game with ten men after Lithgow was red carded. Dodds and Dan time
  14. Here we go again The draw back in January meant that The Caley Jags would head to Victoria Park Buckie to take on olde Highland League adversaries Buckie Thistle in the second round of the William Hill Scottish Cup on Saturday January 9th, a draw predicted by one of our resident seers Gringo. Unfortunately the game would be covid restricted meaning that no fans would have been allowed into the ground to witness the first full competitive match between the sides. That game was scheduled to kick-off at 3:00pm on Saturday 9th January. However, winter intervened and froze the game off, and the next date of 12th January, and then lockdown scuppered the game for another couple of months. Fast forward to March 23rd and we're all set to go against Spider and his men fae Buckie. It's not the worst draw to be honest as we have a decent record of putting green and white hooped sides out of the Scottish Cup. A cold mad March night, potential banana skin fixture with the possibility of a scalp for the Highland League side. What's not to enjoy about the early rounds of the Scottish Cup. The prize for the winners, if you can call it that, is a visit to Dingwall to take on the Caley Jags reject XI complete with a Caley Jags Scottish Cup winning manager. Just let that sink in for a bit. Yes, it's coming up to a mere six years since James Vincent scored the winner at Hampden Park as Inverness Caledonian Thistle lifted the Scottish Cup. Where are these teams now I hear you ask? Well, we are in the Championship back where it all began against the likes of Arbroath and Falkirk are four points clear of Cove Rangers in League one. +++++++++++++++ Buckie Jags +++++++++++++++++ Streaming from Buckie TV £10 Official Preview +++++++++++++++ Caley Jags +++++++++++++++++ Graeme Stewart's Buckie Thistle made their way to the second round of the Cup after an excellent away win at Albion Rovers, beating the Cliftonhill side 3-0. Two goals from Andrew MacAskill, one direct from a corner kick, and a Scott Adams strike were enough to inflict a sixth defeat in seven games for Brian Reid's side. Buckie Boss Stewart had played under John Robertson for the Caley Jags from season 1999 to 2003 making 38 appearances, scoring twice. Buckie played a warm-up game at the weekend after three months of inactivity and went down 3-1 to fellow highland League side Brora Rangers. As Ziggy Stardust once said, it's a big ask for the Spider's from m'arse after such a long lay off. Former Inverness youngsters Kevin Fraser and Andrew MacAskill are at Buckie. Stewart's assistant manager Lewis MacKinnon is also on the books as a player, so great incentive for these guys to do well against their former club. ***Latest Team News*** Brad Mckay and our own braveheart David Carson are on Scottish Cup suspension and will miss this game. That's maybe not a bad thing given our hectic schedule recently where David Carson in particular has been in outstanding form with three MotM performances and his first goal for the club in almost fifty appearances. This should be an opportunity to offer some match time to our fringe players whilst still maintaining enough quality to be competitive and get us through to a derby in Dingwall. However Lewis Hyde and Shane Harkness are cup-tied. Miles Storey has started from the bench in the last two after returning from injury and his pace could cause problems for the ring rusty Buckie squad. Neil McCann has boosted his squad with a loan signing from Rangers. Seventeen year old youth player Arron Lyall has come in until the end of the season with our wide players struggling with injuries. So, once again the loan arranger has arranged a loan for a loan Ranger. He is available to go straight into the squad for the cup tie at Buckie. Spider will do well to put out a competitive squad after the long enforced lay-off. We have never played Buckie Thistle in a competitive game before but some of the pre-season games have been close. Our last game at Buckie was a 4-3 win for an Inverness XI on July 13th 2019. MacGregor, Nicolson, Morrison & Harkness scored for the young team in a 4-3 win at Buckie. Buckie Thistle 3 -V- 4 ICT FC XI @ Victoria Park, Buckie Highland League teams in action tonight Nairn County v Montrose Brora Rangers v Hearts Dumbarton v Huntly Formartine v Annan Athletic Keith v Clyde Plus Elgin City v Ayr United Peterhead v Stenny Arbroath v Falkirk
  15. Jings, Inverness Squeeze Through This long overdue Scottish Cup encounter went ahead after a nine week delay and it was Inverness that squeezed into the next round after Daniel Mackay scored the winner with five minutes left. James Keatings got the opener in 35 seconds but Jack Murray deservedly headed Buckie level fifteen minutes in. A shot from distance by Sean Welsh restored the visitors advantage but a final flurry of activity saw Callum Murray equalise only for Dan to score two minutes later. Credit to Buckie for making this difficult for the youthful Inverness side and a trip to Dingwall beckons. It could have been worse; just look at the result from Brora where Hearts were dumped out of the cup 2-1 at Dudgeon Park. Now that's a result and that's what the cup is all about. Memories are made of this! This was the first competitive meeting between these sides and it came at the end of a three month lay-off for Buckie Thistle due to the weather and coronavirus restrictions. Buckie's last competitive game was the 3-0 success over Albion Rovers on Boxing day in the first round of the Scottish Cup. Inverness were more prepared for this and were starting to put some decent results on the board with successive away wins at Starks Park and East End Park in the Championship. This game was twice frozen off before the Scottish Cup was put on hold. Unfortunately covid restrictions denied Buckie a night of drama at Victoria Park with no fans allowed in the ground. Live streaming was available from Buckie TV. Buckie's manager is former Caley Thistle midfielder Graeme Stewart who played under John Robertson back in 99/2003 making 38 appearances and scoring twice. His assistant is another former young Caley Jag, Lewis MacKinnon. Great incentive for these guys to put on a performance against their former employers. There were rare starts for a number of Caley Jags players with Cammy Mackay in goal, Harry Nicolson at right back and Ryan Fyffe in defence. Miles Storey also started after being a sub in the last couple on return from injury. Loan Ranger Arron Lyall went straight into the squad and was on the bench with Kane Davies and Ali Riddle. Buckie assistant Lewis MacKinnon was in the starting XI for the hosts. A cold blustery night in Buckie met the sides as Inverness kicked off and James Keatings had the ball into the net in 35 seconds. He turned on a ball around the penalty spot and curled it low into the keepers right. A loose pass out along the back offered a snippet of a chance for Buckie but the ball was stopped en route to goal and the chance lost. Big shout for a penalty after some lively forward play by Buckie with Sam Urquhart prominent down the left but referee Steven Reid was not interested. Jack Murray levelled the game deservedly after a corner went across the face of the box. Lewis MacKinnon retrieved it and returned it onto the head of big Jack who powered his header into the net. Sean Welsh restored the visitors advantage when he drove a powerful shot beyond the reach of keeper Bell from around twenty-five yards. Sam Urquhart was lively and Cammy Mackay was forced into action as he saved his twenty yard shot low down. Good response from Buckie around the half hour. A Keatings free kick was put into the net from close range but the whistle had gone for offside or an infringement. Sam Urquhart again caused problems down the left and his low cross was palmed away by Cammy Mackay but no takers for the loose ball that ran away from everyone. Big Jack was turning players inside out on the right wing like Ronaldo as we struggled to impose ourselves on proceedings. Play was a bit fragmented up to half time but no further scoring before the break. Half Time: 1-2 A quick start to the second half saw Miles Storey try to get a couple of crosses in from the left as we looked to get off to another flyer. However not enough interest shown inside the home box. The blustery conditions were making silky football impossible as most balls were being overhit. An untidy passage of play was interrupted when a deep cross was headed into the side net by Kevin Fraser at the back post. A warning for Inverness to up their game. Cameron Harper made his return from injury fifteen minutes into the second half, replacing Kevin McHattie who looked injured. More scrappy play was once more interrupted by a fierce shot from MacLauchlan that fizzed over the bar from the angle of the 18 yard box. It was the hosts that were looking more likely to score the next goal and from a corner, Cammy Mackay flapped at the ball before a defender hoofed it clear. Lewis MacKinnon went off injured and Inverness sent a couple of efforts well over the bar. A bit of a scramble in the visitors box resulted in a corner and an even bigger scramble before the whistle brought some respite to the defence. Storey broke into the box on the left but went wide and the keeper saved his stabbed effort well as Inverness pushed for the clincher and a free kick from the left was missed by everybody in the box when a touch would have resulted in a goal. Substitute Callum Murray equalised after some sloppy defending allowed Murray to burst into the box and finish well. However a couple of minutes later we went back in front with only five minutes left on the clock when Dan Mackay knocked a loose ball home from ten yards. Credit to Buckie and they went back up the park and a ball across the face of the goal saw no takers. Arron Lyall made his debut in injury time as the clock ran down and time just ran away from Buckie as Inverness edged a five goal cup-tie. Full Time 2-3 So it's Inverness that head to Dingwall in the next round after they were given a stern test by Buckie Thistle who will be delighted to be back on the park performing again. Well done to Buckie and Highland derby here we come! Sam Urquhart was my pick for MotM as he posed problems all night wide on the left. Jack Murray and Max Barry supported well, in fact considering the lack of game time recently, they were all brilliant. Good job by Spider who will be delighted by his teams performance on a difficult night for football. Here's Neil post match Date: 23/03/2021 Venue: Victoria Park, Buckie Attendance: 0000 Referee: Steven Reid Buckie Thistle: 2 Manager: Graeme Stewart Lineup: Bell, Munro, MacKinnon (Morrison 69), J Murray, McGlauchlan, Cowie, Pugh, Barry, Fraser, Urquhart, McLeod(C Murray 75) Subs (not used): Herbert; Wood, Goodall, Davidson, Scorers: J Murray (15), C Murray (84) Booked: Macleod (35) J Murray (90+1) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 3 Manager: Neil McCann (temporary) Lineup: C Mackay; Nicolson, Deas, McHattie (Harper 60), D Mackay (Lyall 90+2), Welsh, Allardice, MacGregor, Fyffe, Keatings (Sutherland 75), Storey Subs (not used): Ridgers; Riddle, Davies, Scorers: Keatings (35 secs), Welsh (27), D Mackay (86) Booked: MacGregor (83) Sent Off: none a
  16. Here we go again The draw back in January meant that The Caley Jags would head to Victoria Park Buckie to take on olde Highland League adversaries Buckie Thistle in the second round of the William Hill Scottish Cup on Saturday January 9th, a draw predicted by one of our resident seers Gringo. Unfortunately the game would be covid restricted meaning that no fans would have been allowed into the ground to witness the first full competitive match between the sides. That game was scheduled to kick-off at 3:00pm on Saturday 9th January. However, winter intervened and froze the game off, and the next date of 12th January, and then lockdown scuppered the game for another couple of months. Fast forward to March 23rd and we're all set to go against Spider and his men fae Buckie. It's not the worst draw to be honest as we have a decent record of putting green and white hooped sides out of the Scottish Cup. A cold mad March night, potential banana skin fixture with the possibility of a scalp for the Highland League side. What's not to enjoy about the early rounds of the Scottish Cup. The prize for the winners, if you can call it that, is a visit to Dingwall to take on the Caley Jags reject XI complete with a Caley Jags Scottish Cup winning manager. Just let that sink in for a bit. Yes, it's coming up to a mere six years since James Vincent scored the winner at Hampden Park as Inverness Caledonian Thistle lifted the Scottish Cup. Where are these teams now I hear you ask? Well, we are in the Championship back where it all began against the likes of Arbroath and Falkirk are four points clear of Cove Rangers in League one. +++++++++++++++ Buckie Jags +++++++++++++++++ Streaming from Buckie TV £10 Official Preview +++++++++++++++ Caley Jags +++++++++++++++++ Graeme Stewart's Buckie Thistle made their way to the second round of the Cup after an excellent away win at Albion Rovers, beating the Cliftonhill side 3-0. Two goals from Andrew MacAskill, one direct from a corner kick, and a Scott Adams strike were enough to inflict a sixth defeat in seven games for Brian Reid's side. Buckie Boss Stewart had played under John Robertson for the Caley Jags from season 1999 to 2003 making 38 appearances, scoring twice. Buckie played a warm-up game at the weekend after three months of inactivity and went down 3-1 to fellow highland League side Brora Rangers. As Ziggy Stardust once said, it's a big ask for the Spider's from m'arse after such a long lay off. Former Inverness youngsters Kevin Fraser and Andrew MacAskill are at Buckie. Stewart's assistant manager Lewis MacKinnon is also on the books as a player, so great incentive for these guys to do well against their former club. ***Latest Team News*** Brad Mckay and our own braveheart David Carson are on Scottish Cup suspension and will miss this game. That's maybe not a bad thing given our hectic schedule recently where David Carson in particular has been in outstanding form with three MotM performances and his first goal for the club in almost fifty appearances. This should be an opportunity to offer some match time to our fringe players whilst still maintaining enough quality to be competitive and get us through to a derby in Dingwall. However Lewis Hyde and Shane Harkness are cup-tied. Miles Storey has started from the bench in the last two after returning from injury and his pace could cause problems for the ring rusty Buckie squad. Neil McCann has boosted his squad with a loan signing from Rangers. Seventeen year old youth player Arron Lyall has come in until the end of the season with our wide players struggling with injuries. So, once again the loan arranger has arranged a loan for a loan Ranger. He is available to go straight into the squad for the cup tie at Buckie. Spider will do well to put out a competitive squad after the long enforced lay-off. We have never played Buckie Thistle in a competitive game before but some of the pre-season games have been close. Our last game at Buckie was a 4-3 win for an Inverness XI on July 13th 2019. MacGregor, Nicolson, Morrison & Harkness scored for the young team in a 4-3 win at Buckie. Buckie Thistle 3 -V- 4 ICT FC XI @ Victoria Park, Buckie Highland League teams in action tonight Nairn County v Montrose Brora Rangers v Hearts Dumbarton v Huntly Formartine v Annan Athletic Keith v Clyde Plus Elgin City v Ayr United Peterhead v Stenny & Arbroath v Falkirk
  17. Familiar surroundings but cup of woe. The difference between the sides proved to be former on-loan ICT player Darren Mackie. He returned to Pittodrie at the end of 2003-04, fought his way back into the side and his two goals put Caley Thistle out of the Scottish Cup. With Zander Diamond injured Aberdeen included defender Richie Byrne, newly signed from Dunfermline. Craig Brewster's starting eleven was unchanged but reserve keeper Mike Fraser was injured and his bench place was taken by 17-year old Jonathon Smith, only his second squad appearance. After good early play at both ends it was Caley Thistle who could easily have opened the scoring when a Richie Hart corner was headed onto the post by Brewster. In the event it was Aberdeen who scored first in 15 minutes. A Kevin McNaughton cross from the right was headed home by Mackie despite the presence of two defenders and the advancing Mark Brown. Nine minutes later a Richie Hart free kick into the box was touched in by Brewster from six yards - Russell Anderson and Markus Heikkinen were both in close attendance but Brewster's strength won the battle. Stuart Golabek then hit the bar and Brown saved from Steven Craig before the Dons once more took the lead in 34 minutes. A 22 yard drive from Jamie Winter took a slight deflection but Brown still managed an excellent diving save but Mackie was in like a flash to score from the rebound. Half Time: 1-2 Aberdeen should have sewn the game up in 51 minutes but Noel Whelan missed an open goal from six yards then Craig's follow-up header hit the bar. A good run by Mackie in 77 minutes led to another golden chance for Whelan. Mackie was on a hat-trick but unselfishly chose to pass to his strike partner - Whelan sliced it wide from eight yards. With five minutes left Mackie was again through but Brown took the ball at his feet. Four added minutes stretched to nearly six but Aberdeen did not look like surrendering their lead. In the dying seconds Esson came out of his box to clear upfield and Brown took the ball at the edge of his area with John Stewart chasing. Full Time: 1-2 The whistle went and Caley Thistle were out of the cup. The good news is that they can now concentrate on SPL survival. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 1 (Brewster 24) Team: Brown; Tokely, Munro, Dods, Golabek, Wilson, Duncan, Hart (McBain 70), Juanjo (Fetai 77), Bayne, Brewster Subs not used: Smith; McCaffrey, Prunty - Booked: Hart (60) Aberdeen: 2 (Mackie 15, 34) Team: Esson; Hart, Heikkinen, Anderson, McNaughton, Byrne, Clark, Winter, Craig (Stewart 69), Mackie (McGuire 88), Whelan (Adams 80) Subs not used: Morrison, Blanchard - Booked: Clark Attendance: 10595 - Referee: Willie Young
  18. Caley Jags at home in Dingwall Another unusual 'home' match for Caley Thistle and the first playing appearance of the manager. With the Caledonian Stadium being upgraded to SPL requirements the tie was moved to Dingwall. Gales and heavy rain around the country caused many matches to be postponed but the pitch dried out just enough to allow play to go ahead. Victory came via the head of captain Stuart Golabek when a draw looked a strong possibility. The pressure on the Perth Saints started in the fourth minute when a Barry Wilson low 20 yard shot was blocked. Wilson's free kick two minutes later rebounded off the wall and Liam Keogh hit over the bar. In a good Saints spell after 15 minutes Peter MacDonald shot wide then a good Paul Sheerin run was halted by Russell Duncan. The visitors had their best chance of the match after 25 minutes when a curling Sheerin ball from the right fell for Ian Maxwell but his low shot went just wide. Right on the whistle a Duncan drive was deflected onto the Saints post. Half Time: 0-0 Caley Thistle took control in the second half and a spirited Ross Tokely run in 58 minutes nearly came off after he ran from his own half, beat two defenders close to goal then his low shot was held by Cuthbert. A goal looked a racing certainty in 66 minutes when Wilson's pressure forced Cuthbert into an error and the ball broke free. Wilson passed to Brewster 15 yards out but his roll towards the empty goal slid past. The crowd were on their feet but it took another eight minutes before they had something to really shout about. Tokely crossed from the right, the ball flew over Brewster and Golabek was at the back post to head home. A slick move in 83 minutes set up Wilson but he hit high. A minute later Duncan played a 1-2 with substitute Graham Bayne, and Cuthbert did very well to stop Duncan's net-bound shot. A minute into added time a Wilson long-shot was pushed out by Cuthbert to Richie Hart but his angled shot came off the bar. Full Time: 1-0 Not the best performance of the season but a welcome win in difficult conditions. Now it is back along the A96 to the familiar surroundings of Pittodrie for the fourth round. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 1 (Golabek 74) Team: Brown; Tokely, Dods, Munro, Golabek, Wilson, Duncan, Keogh, McBain (Hart 73), Prunty (Juanjo 65), Brewster (Bayne 78) Subs not used: Fraser; Proctor. - Booked: Tokely (60) St Johnstone: 0 Team: Cuthbert; Baxter, Fotheringham (Forsyth 83), Hannah, Webb, Maxwell, McCann (McAnespie 78), Rutkiewicz (Hay 78), MacDonald, Moore, Sheerin Subs not used: Samson; Forsyth. - Booked: Maxwell Attendance: 2021 - Referee: Dougie McDonald
  19. The last four games between these sides have ended in a home win and today was no different. Reputed Caley Thistle target Dean Shiels scored all three goals in a deserved victory for the Hibees and probably killed any chance Caley Thistle have of getting him to come to the Caledonian Stadium as new boss Mixu Paatelainen will likely be less than enthusiastic about letting him go now. 12/01/08 Easter Road, Edinburgh Hibernian 3 Shiels (5, 53, 84) Team: MaKalambay, McCann, Hogg, Jones, Hanlon (McCormack 62), Morais, Kerr, Beuzelin, Zemmama, Shiels, Benjelloun Subs: Antoine-Curier, Chisholm, O'Brien, McNeil I.C.T. 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, McGuire, Hastings, Cowie (Proctor 61), Black (McDonald 85), Duncan, McBain, Bayne (Wyness 62), Niculae Subs: Vigurs, Malkowski Referee Steve Conroy Attendance 9622 Dean Shiels was the hat-trick hero for Hibs as they eased into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup at Caley Thistle’s expense. The player – seemingly frozen out under previous manager John Collins – returned to the starting line-up for new manager Mixu Paatelainen and virtually guaranteed his Easter Road future as he handed the gaffer his best possible start. It could all have been so different had Caley Thistle taken one of three chances they had in the first five minutes through Niculae, Bayne or Tokely. In the fifth minute a neat move between Hanlon, Zemmama and Shiels allowed the latter to drift wide of McGuire and Tokely before drilling a shot across Fraser and into the far corner from 12 yards out. This inspired Hibs and they played some neat football after this with Zemmama in particular coming close a couple of times. Caley Thistle had a chance in 18 minutes when Roy McBain found Niculae with a cross but his close range effort was saved by Ma-Kalambay. The rest of the half belonged to Hibs with both Benjelloun and Zemmama going close again. Half Time: 1-0 Caley Thistle started the second half brightly and had chances through a Niculae long range effort and then through Bayne who was set free down the wing courtesy of a Niculae back-heel. Unfortunately, when he got inside the box, the final shot sailed well over the bar. In 53 minutes, the game was really over as a contest when Hibs got their second. Shiels nutmegged Munro on the edge of the box and shot low under Fraser. Morais almost made it three a short while later but he put it just past the post. Caley Thistle chances were few and far between and any that we had were saved easily by Ma-Kalambay who easily held onto a deflected Niculae effort in 73 minutes. The moral of this game seemed to be that anything we could do, Hibs could do better and straight after Niculae’s chance for ICT, Hibs had several of their own. Antoine-Curier crossed for Morais but he failed to make contact with the ball just yards from goal. A minute later, it was Antoine-Curier doing the missing himself as Zemmama crossed and he headed over with Fraser already beaten. The final blow for ICT came in the 83rd minute when Shiels was first to react to a Morais shot that had hit the post and scored to complete his hat-trick To add insult to injury, Caley Thistle’s “new” defender Phil McGuire – who has now signed a 2 ½ year deal – was red carded with three minutes to go after Filipe Morais squared up to him. Although McGuire didn’t appear to do anything, Mr Conroy decided to give both of them a yellow card and as each had been booked earlier, the yellows were quickly followed by reds. Full Time: 3-0 Following ICT in the cup has given us many good days to remember but this was one we should try to forget... quickly.
  20. Leading 1-0 with just over two minutes to go things looked good for ICT. However Steven Pressley and Kenny Miller put paid to that with goals in 88 and 90 minutes to send ICT crashing out of the cup. Club Historian Ian Broadfoot supplies the official report from this game. 28th January 2007 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 1 (Bayne 18) Team: Fraser, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Rankin, Black (McSwegan 77), Duncan, McBain (Hart 46), Wilson (McAllister 86), Bayne Subs: McCaffrey & Ridgers CELTIC 2 (Pressley, Miller 90) Team: Boruc, Wilson (Sheridan 73), Naylor, Pressley, McManus, Nakamura, Lennon, Hartley, Sno (Graveson 78), Jarosik (McGeady 65), Miller Subs: Telfer & McGovern Referee Dougie McDonald Attendance 7119 Man of the Match Graham Bayne (ICT) This was not just robbery – it was grand larceny! Just when it looked as if Caley Thistle were about to inflict a third Scottish Cup victory over Celtic – and a well deserved one – up popped Steven Pressley to head an equaliser two minutes from time. That was bad enough but Kenny Miller’s strike 50 seconds over time was devastating. Charlie Christie: "It's an understatement to say I am gutted we are out of the cup... It's a real sore one to take, even a draw would have been sore enough". The home side matched Celtic in every department and their 18th minute lead was no real surprise. If Graham Bayne’s second goal in 28 minutes had not been ruled out for offside it would have been all over. Not surprisingly there was a strong build up to this third Scottish Cup meeting of the sides with great debate as to whether lightning could strike for a third time. With ICT wins in 2000 and 2003 Celtic clearly were taking nothing for granted and they travelled up two days ahead of the game. Celtic absentees were the injured Craig Beattie, Maceij Zarowski and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. In addition Mark Brown was cup tied. Caley Thistle were still missing the injured Craig Dargo and Dennis Wyness. In a surprise move Charlie Christie played Barry Wilson up front with Graham Bayne and Ian Black was recalled to midfield at the expense of Rory McAllister. Ian Black hit a long range effort well wide in the second minute then Kenny Miller had a run through but his final shot was blocked by Mike Fraser’s legs. This was to be Celtic’s best first half chance. After half-chances at both ends the home side took an 18th minute lead after a fine move. Black strode through the centre, found Barry Wilson on the left wing and he slipped the ball cleverly past Steven Pressley before sending it low across goal – Graham Bayne was first to react and he touched it home virtually unchallenged from six yards. A Nakamura 15 yard shot was pushed away by Fraser in 25 minutes then three minutes later it was nearly 2-0. A long range Black shot was deflected and Artur Boruc could not hold it – Bayne slid in to score but offside was called. TV pictures confirmed that Bayne was a couple of feet offside when Black shot. Just before the break a Nakamura free kick from the right reached a well-positioned Jiri Jarosik but he miskicked badly. Half Time: 1-0 Into the second half and more of the same – Caley Thistle keeping Celtic at bay, creating chances and not in the least bit overawed. Celtic had a great chance to equalise in 54 minutes but Nakamura’s angled strike from the left thundered off the bar. The pattern continued until a dramatic last few minutes. Two minutes from the end of the regulation 90 a Nakamura corner from the left was headed goalwards by Stephen McManus from 6 yards and Steven Pressley finished the job by heading in from a yard out. There was worse to come a minute into the two minutes of added time. Nakamura sent a through ball to Miller, he played a one-two with Cillian Sheridan and Miller hit a curling low shot from 24 yards into the bottom corner for an amazing winner. He was booked for celebrating with the crowd but it was all over and a stunned Caley Thistle were out of the cup. Full Time: 1-2 unbelievable There was disbelief all round and not a few tears Sadly it has to be back to the league.
  21. Russell Duncan scored his first goal of the season in the 16th minute of this game. Not only was it an absolute cracker but it was also enough to take Caley Thistle through to the last 8 of the cup. Club Historian Ian Broadfoot supplies the match report of this game. ICT 1-0 DUNDEE UTD 3rd February 2007 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE FC 1 (Duncan 16) Team: Fraser, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Wilson, Duncan, McBain, Rankin, Bayne, McAllister (McSwegan 66) Subs: McCaffrey, Black, Morgan & Ridgers DUNDEE UNITED 0 Team: Stillie, Dillon, Wilkie, McCracken, Kalvenes, Kerr, Robertson, Robson, Samuel (Duff 74), Daly (Hunt 60), Conway Subs: Robb, Kenneth & McLean Referee Stuart Dougal Attendance 3402 Man of the Match Russell Duncan (ICT) Russell Duncan does not score many goals but when he does they are usually crackers. His 16th minute wonder goal – Duncan ’s first of the season – was one from the top drawer and a fitting match winner. The home side dominated the first half but had just one goal to show for their superiority. United came back in the second, finished particularly strongly but could not find a way through the home defence. Strikers Craig Dargo and Dennis Wyness missed out for Caley Thistle with shoulder injuries and new recruit Markus Paatelainen was cup-tied. United welcomed back Barry Robson from suspension to face his former club and Lee Mair was out through injury. Having signed a pre-contract agreement Darren Dods was in the unusual position of playing against the side that will gain his services in the summer. These sides last met in the Tennent’s Scottish Cup in February 1998 and it was an epic. ICT were languishing in ninth place in the second division but they took their SPL opponents all the way before succumbing in extra time after a replay. Richard Hastings and Barry Wilson played for Caley Thistle in both games and Barry Robson, now United’s skipper, made a substitute appearance in the second match. Current ICT striker Gary McSwegan played in both matches for United. Today it was a meeting of SPL equals but with Caley Thistle just ahead in the league. Two early efforts from Barry Wilson signalled the home side’s attacking intentions – in the fifth minute he shot wide from 25 yards then five minutes later Derek Stillie collect an angled shot from the left at his near post. The goal that proved to be the winner came in 16 minutes when a long Grant Munro throw from the left was headed away by Lee Wilkie but only as far as Duncan – he took a touch and from over 25 yards sent a dipping shot into the top corner. In 29 minutes Rory McAllister had a chance to extend the lead when he latched onto a Wilson cross from the right but from a few yards out he headed over. As half time approached United had a couple of chances with David Robertson hooking wide from inside the box and Mark Kerr hitting just wide from the edge of the penalty area. United had clearly been given verbal encouragement at the interval and they had much more of the play in the second half. Half Time: 1-0 David Robertson did find the net in 48 minutes with a header but he was well offside. Samuel netted in 70 minutes but Lee Wilkie was penalised (and booked) for a strong challenge on Mike Fraser. With six minutes left Ross Tokely produced a mesmeric run to beat four defenders and set himself up for a shot but he hit the side netting. Two minutes later substitute McSwegan hit low and wide of the mark. In the dying seconds United had a realistic chance to force a replay when a Robson shot from wide right was beaten away by Fraser - no United player was there to cash in and it came back to the ‘keeper via Dods and Munro. Full Time: 1-0 The final whistle sounded and Caley Thistle were through to the quarter final draw.
  22. Caley Thistle cantered into the 4th round of the Tennents Scottish Cup with what turned out to be an easy win against Stirling Albion. Charlie Christie went with 3 strikers from the start and this paid off as the Caley Jags managed 6 goals from 5 different scorers. Official Club Historian Ian Broadfoot supplies the match report. STIRLING ALBION 1-6 ICT 6th January 2007 Forthbank Stadium, Stirling STIRLING ALBION 1 (O'Brien 15) Team: Hogarth, Hay (Taggart 55), McNally, Graham, Forsyth, Bell, Fraser, Aitken, O'Brien (Devine 76), Tomana (Wilson 55), Cramb Subs: Christie & Malseed INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 6 (Dargo 8,41, Wyness 13, McBain 22, Wilson 47, Morgan 69) Team:Brown, Tokely (McCaffrey 53), Dods, Munro, Wilson (Morgan 67), Duncan, Rankin, McBain, Wyness, Bayne (McAllister 62), Dargo Subs: Black & Fraser Referee Mike Ritchie Attendance 1521 Man of the Match Craig Dargo (ICT) Charlie Christie said: We're in the next round draw and that was the main priority today... we're just hoping for a decent draw. With Stirling riding high in the Second Division, and having home advantage, Caley Thistle had to be at their professional best going into this match. In the event a fine performance led to a comfortable victory. This was only the Sixth meeting of the clubs and only the second in any cup - Stirling won a League Challenge Cup match 3-1 in August 1996 but never managed a league victory when both were in the Second Division in 1998/99. The Binos were without Dene Shields who has gone back to Gretna from loan and also the injured Ian Cashmore. Richard Hastings missed out for ICT due to injury but Ian Black returned from suspension to take a place on the bench. Craig Dargo came back from injury to take his place in an attacking formation with three at the back and all three main strikers in the starting eleven. With only eight minutes gone it was 1-0 to ICT when John Rankin stepped in as the Stirling defence tried to clear a high header from Graham Bayne - Rankin sent a low ball across goal from the left and Dargo bundled in from a yard out. Five minutes later a Roy McBain cross from the left was knocked-down by Bayne and Dennis Wyness sent a superb left-foot volley from 20 yards past Myles Hogarth to make it 2-0. Two minutes after that Stirling temporarily came back into it when David O'Brien scored from 12 yards via the post. Roy McBain made it 3-1 in 22 minutes when his first shot came back off Wyness and he hammered the rebound home from the edge of the box. John Fraser hit the bar for Stirling in 32 minutes but four minutes before the break Craig Dargo scored a tremendous goal to make it 4-1. He played a one-two with Wyness and chipped over Hogarth from 25 yards. Half Time: 1-4 Two minutes into the second half Barry Wilson scored with a low shot from 25 yards which went in off the post to make it 5-1. Stirling were by now well and truly out and in 54 minutes it was nearly 6-1 when Bayne hit the post with a low drive. The final goal came in 69 minutes from Alan Morgan just two minutes after he came on for Barry Wilson. He took a pass from Rankin, went past three defenders then scored from an acute angle through Hogarth's legs. Full Time: 1-6 A good afternoon's work for ICT and a place in Sunday's fourth round draw. [4th round draw paired ICT at home to either Dundee Utd or St Mirren]
  23. Charlie Christie and 'The Doc' navigate a potentially tricky cup tie and take Caley Thistle to the next round of the cup. Goals from Dennis Wyness and Craig Dargo are enough to see off Ayr and keep the stand-in duo's winning record intact. A midweek match at Somerset Park does not bring back the fondest memories for most ICT fans. The only previous cup match between the sides at this venue ended in a 5-1 CIS Cup loss for Caley Thistle and the early dismissal of Ross Tokely. Monday 16th January 2006 Somerset Park, Ayr AYR UNITED FC 0 Team: McGeown, McKinstry, McLaughlin, Baillie, Ramsay (Robertson 46), Hyslop, Logan, Casey, Conway, Vareille (Phillips 37), Wardlaw (Cashmore 71) Subs – Weaver & Strain INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE FC 2 (Dargo pen38, Wyness 76) Team: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Wilson (Proctor 82), Black, Duncan, McBain (Golabek 88), Dargo (McAllister 85), Wyness Subs – Hart & Fraser Referee K Toner Attendance 2774 Man of the Match Raymond Logan (Ayr United) Our league record at this ground hasn't been that great either : 2 wins, 4 draws and 4 defeats in the 10 games between the sides when they met regularly on Division 1 duty. Since then Caley Thistle have headed upwards to the SPL and Ayr have dropped to Division 2. After Ayr’s fine performance in the first match this was not a night to relish. Sky TV were broadcasting live from Somerset Park for the first time, clearly hoping for a cup shock. The additional revenue was much appreciated by both sides. With six SPL sides already out of the cup all eyes were on Ayr to see if they could dispatch number seven. Caley Thistle had technical problems with the team bus en route to Ayr, but it did not stop them seeing off their second division opponents and giving the interim management team of Christie and Docherty their second win in three days. Apart from a few nervous moments the visitors dominated, but they could easily have gone behind in 22 minutes. A Mark Casey shot from 25 yards took a wicked deflection and came back off the post with Mark Brown stranded. Jerome Vareille was ready to shoot from close range when Grant Munro stepped in with a magnificent tackle to end the danger – offside was called so it would not have counted. Mark McGeown dived to hold a low Barry Wilson shot in 26 minutes then in 33 minutes Dennis Wyness sent an angled shot wide of the post after good work by Ian Black. Two minutes later the match came to life after a Dougie Ramsay mishit was picked up by Wyness 25 yards out. He headed straight for goal but was pulled down as he rounded McGeown. The next two actions were inevitable – a red card for the Ayr keeper and a penalty award. Ayr sacrificed Jerome Vareille for substitute ‘keeper Eric Phillips and his first action was to pick the ball out of the net after Craig Dargo hammered home the spot kick. It was an uphill struggle for Ayr after that not helped by heavy rain. Two minutes from the break Phillips spilled a Black shot and Dargo raced in to collect – the angle from the right was acute and he hit over. Ross Tokely collided with Ramsay just on the whistle and Ramsay did not reappear for the second half. The Ayr camp cried foul but the referee judged the clash to be accidental. The second period was virtually all Caley Thistle but there was a heart-stopping moment in 52 minutes when Brown came out to punch away a free kick and left his goal unattended. The ball came back quickly to Raymond Logan and he had a free shot on goal. Tokely took charge of the goal line and did well to clear the danger – Logan was clearly offside but the referee chose to ignore it. A neat move in 68 minutes set up Wilson. Wyness sent a ball from the left, Black dummied but Wilson’s effort flew just over. Any danger of an Ayr comeback was ended in 76 minutes when Roy McBain stopped the ball from drifting out of play down the left, found Richard Hastings and the full back’s cross was headed home by Wyness from seven yards. A pitch invasion by a handful of Ayr fans held up play as time slipped away but this did not help their side’s cause. With a minute to go Ian Cashmore did have a shot blocked after a rare Ayr attack then the same player went down in the box – play was waved on. It ended 2-0 and Caley Thistle earned a fourth round home tie against Partick Thistle. With only six SPL sides in the last sixteen there are interesting times ahead.
  24. Craig Dargo and Roy McBain score for Caley Thistle but a late (very late !!) penalty for Partick Thistle means this tie will go to a replay on the 14th. Club Historian Ian Broadfoot reports on the match from the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium... Saturday 4h February 2006 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE FC 2 (McBain 59, Dargo 77) Team: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro (Fox 46), Hastings, Wilson, Black (Golabek 19), Duncan, McBain, Dargo, Wyness (Bayne 78) Subs – Proctor & Fraser PARTICK THISTLE FC 2 (Roberts 45, 90 pen) Team: Arthur, Murray, McCulloch (Boyd 75), Smyth, Hodge, W Gibson, J Gibson, Gillies (Dodds 83), Ritchie, Roberts, Strachan Subs – Craig, Brady & Stewart Referee C Murray Attendance 3286 Man of the Match Barry Wilson (ICT) A hard game in every sense and disappointment for the home camp. Partick never allowed Caley Thistle to settle into a rhythm and took a 1-0 lead just on half time. After that Caley Thistle improved and at 2-1 looked to have taken the tie. A last gasp controversial penalty changed all that and ensured a replay at Firhill. At the break Ian Black was already on his way to Raigmore Hospital for a foot x-ray, Grant Munro was limping badly and Darren Dods was sporting a large head bandage following a collision and stitches. Munro did not reappear for the second half and a defensive reorganisation was required. Black was only back from suspension for 19 minutes before he was forced to leave the field. Former ICT favourite Paul Ritchie was in the Partick team but he was well policed and rarely had a scoring chance. Ross Tokely made his 350th appearance – the first ICT player to reach that impressive milestone. Munro was hurt in just the 11th minute but grit and determination saw him through to half-time despite obvious pain. Ricky Gillies had the first real shot at goal in 15 minutes but his low ball from 20 yards went wide. Craig Dargo and Barry Wilson interlinked well in 18 minutes but a defender stepped in as Wilson headed for goal. Two minutes later the same combination of events ended in an interception. In 28 minutes a Dennis Wyness shot from 15 yards was deflected for a corner – Wilson’s kick was headed wide by Richard Hastings. Ten minutes later a Russell Duncan effort was similarly deflected for a corner. With 45 minutes on the clock a foul on Jimmy Gibson gave Partick a free kick 25 yards out. Scott McCulloch’s curling ball was turned past Mark Brown by Mark Roberts into the net to give Partick a half time lead. Half Time: 0-1 Three minutes into the second half a Dargo shot was blocked then in 55 minutes a strong penalty claim was rejected when Dargo was fouled by Kenny Arthur. The ‘keeper came out and missed a high ball before clattering into Dargo who was left in pain on the ground. Four minutes later the equaliser came when a long ball from Tokely on the right ran through to Roy McBain. From 15 yards he hammered the ball into the roof of the net. The pressure on Arthur’s goal continued and two minutes later a low dangerous ball from Wyness was headed for a corner by McCulloch. In 67 minutes a Wilson 25 yard shot beat Arthur but came back off the post – Wyness was following up but the offside flag was raised. Tokely was again the provider for the home side’s second goal – his ball from the right was met by Liam Fox but the shot spun to McBain on the left – McBain chipped the ball into the centre and Dargo headed home. Throughout this period Partick rarely troubled Mark Brown and Caley Thistle looked to have the game sewn up. Fox could have put the result beyond doubt with eight minutes left when a Dargo ball through the centre set him up one-on-one with Arthur – Fox’s 12 yard shot was on target but Arthur made the save of the match to keep his side in the cup. The lively Adam Strachan shot low into the home box with two minutes left but Brown collected as Ritchie slid in. The three added minutes were almost up when confusion in the home box led to Roberts going down and a penalty awarded – in the light of the Dargo incident 35 minutes earlier this seemed very harsh. Roberts took it himself and electrified the vocal band of Partick supporters when he made it 2-2. There was only time for the kick-off before the final whistle went. Full Time 2-2 For Caley Thistle the draw tasted like a defeat but Partick were not surprisingly delighted. The winners of the replay go to Edinburgh for a tough but money-spinning quarter final tie against Hearts.
  25. Yogi makes a Boo Boo. A shambolic team selection and performance saw Inverness gift Hibs safe passage into the semi-final with a deserved 1-2 win at Inverness, as Yogi goes from hero to zero in less than a year. Hughes kept all his attacking options on the bench for reasons only he will know and at the back we handed Hibs the opportunity to advance, and they did so with Anthony Stokes capitalising twice. That left Inverness with too much to do in the second half and we fell short despite getting one goal back through Iain Vigurs with almost fifteen minutes left. Hibernian took a large following to the Highland capital for this cup replay despite the disappointment of losing the League Cup final to Ross County on the Sunday. They had Jason Cummings up front with Anthony Stokes backing him up. Dylan McGeough failed to make the squad. John Hughes' line-up was the subject of much ridicule and probably one of the main reasons we are out of the cup. Despite the fact that we have struggled to score goals of late, Yogi chose to leave attacking options Miles Storey, Jordan Roberts, Danny Williams and to a lesser extent Liam Polworth on the bench. Instead we had Richie Foran starting after months out, Liam Hughes an almost untried midfielder at centre forward and Josh Meekings at right back for his first start in ages. Andrea Mutombo was not fit enough to make the squad. It was our defence of the trophy and surely we would take the game to Hibs to try and retain the trophy against the Championship side who have not won in five games. We began by getting forward well, but as is our frustrating habit of late we were soon void of attacking intent as Hibs got to grip with the game, realising that we were not an attacking threat. By playing Hughes up front, we seemed to abandon our sideways passing game and opt for route one, but more often than not the long balls were floundering on the heads of the visiting defenders. Hibernian went ahead after Stokes benefitted from a defensive cock-up. A decent ball in by Lewis Stevenson from the Hibs left saw Devine and Tremarco go for the same ball. Devine got a touch which flicked it over Tremarco and Stokes was on hand to receive the gift and stroke the ball home from eight yards. Five minutes later and the Cup was back in it's box ready for sending South. Danny Devine has become the master of disaster recently and he messed up trying to pass the ball out of defence. He scuffed his clearing pass five yards into the path of the impressive Liam Henderson who sped into the box before cutting it back to Jason Cummings. He got his shot away and Fon Williams saved brilliantly, but the ball fell nicely for Stokes who won't score an easier double than this. What were Inverness doing while all this was happening? Well, nothing really apart from a comedy of errors, and the half ended with boo's ringing in the ears of the home side, the away fans in fine voice though. Half Time 0-2 Another feeble first half would surely see a couple of changes at the interval, but no, Yogi persevered with his starting choice. Desperation was evident as we surged forward and Tremarco should have done better than stab a deep cross well over from five yards at the back post. Iain Vigurs hit a sweet right footer from 25 yards but Oxley was well placed to save as Inverness struggled to create the clear opening they needed. The cumbersome Nat Wedderburn was booked and substituted two minutes later and Lewis Horner went the same way. Attacking flair was introduce at last with Danny Williams and top scorer Miles Storey entering the field of play. Fifteen minutes later, the Inverness pressure paid off when Iain Vigurs was on hand to knock in a Foran header back across the box. Five minutes later and more comedy gold when Oxley clashed with Hughes as he blocked the makeshift strikers stab at goal. There followed a series of calls for medical attention for the keeper seemingly unable to see properly after dislodging one of his contact lenses. A booking for time wasting followed before he slumped to the ground, eventually being substituted. Seven minutes of added time resulted from that farce but we huffed and puffed without blowing the house down. In fact, Hibs could have scored a third or fourth as we threw everyone forward in an attempt to salvage something from he wreck, but good goalkeeping and poor finishing saw the game end 2-1 in Hibs favour and our defence of the cup was over. Full Time 1-2 Oh dear Yogi, what have you done. Seriously cheesed off lots of fans tonight with the team selection and tactics. Hibs at least tried to play football while we looked like a Highland League outfit. We missed a tremendous chance to get into another final and it has been snubbed as the players struggled to find any momentum. Fair play to Hibs, they did what they had to and I'm afraid the buck stops with John Hughes for that performance. His player selection was absolutely horrendous and one wonders what he was thinking about. We were the home side and we needed to go out and take the game to Hibs. Playing without forward minded players was not the right thing to do. MotM. I don't think I could pick one player from that shambles. I suppose Owain Fon Wiliams did nothing wrong and he did make a couple of excellent saves so he is my choice. Those certainly not considered were Liam Hughes, Carl Tremarco, Danny Devine, Josh Meekings, Lewis Horner, Ross Draper or Nat Wedderburn. Richie Foran, Gary Warren and Iain Vigurs get pass marks for neatness. We looked slightly more dangerous with the introduction of Storey, Williams and Polworth, but the horse had bolted by then and like lots of games this season, it was too little too late. Next up is County away. I'm not sure quite so many fans have the stomach to take this one in given our recent demise. Date: 16/03/16 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3207 Referee: Stephen Finnie Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Fon Williams, Meekings, Warren, Devine, Tremarco (Polworth 73), Horner (Storey 62), Draper, Wedderburn (D.Williams 62), Vigurs, Foran, Hughes Subs (not used): Esson, R.Williams, Roberts Scorers: Vigurs (77) Booked: Wedderburn (60), Meekings (64) Sent Off: none Hibernian: 2 Lineup: Oxley (Virtanen 88), Gray, McGregor, Fontaine, Stevenson, Bartley, McGinn, Henderson, Keatings, Cummings, Stokes Subs (not used): El Alagui, Handling, Boyle, Gunnarsson, Dagnall, Thomson Scorers: Stokes (36, 41) Booked: Keatings (69), Gray (83), Oxley (87) Sent Off: none 0
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